In addition to its oriental and aesthetic side, the Japanese garden embodies order, calm, serenity and balance. It is an ideal space to recharge your batteries, reflect and meditate. It should definitely not be confused with the Zen garden.
There are several types of Japanese gardens. The most popular are the Sukiyama garden where everything is in miniature, the Karesansui garden which represents the dry garden and the Chaniwa garden also called tea garden because it is inseparable from the tea ceremony for which it serves as a setting.
Before starting to create your Japanese garden, it is essential to know certain rules that must be respected, in particular the plant species to install. You also need to know how to design it. Here are the key points to know to successfully imagine and develop a Japanese garden.
The fundamental principles of the Japanese garden
The basic pillars of a Japanese garden are harmony, refinement and perfection of the landscape offered.
Far from disorder and symmetry, this space is designed as a discreet but distinguished work of art. To properly arrange such a garden, you must first start by looking at the location you have chosen to install it. You must plan the location of this space where you will place each element while remaining in harmony with what is established naturally while creating another landscape scale. In a Japanese garden, the most important thing is the organization of the filled spaces, the empty ones and also the aspects and echoes to be felt. Perspective is imagined centrally and straight lines are banned. In addition, the effect of surprise takes on its full extent.
We feel like there is always something to discover when visiting a Japanese garden.
There is also the impression of open and undelimited space to take into consideration in the design of the garden. The fences must therefore be camouflaged, with bamboo hedges for example. Finally, the Japanese garden is organized in odd numbers. Indeed, the Japanese consider them positive and full of promise. The elements of these gardens – stones, rocks, trees, etc. – follow odd numbers.
Designing a Japanese garden requires thought and observation in order to adapt it to the location where you have decided to install it. Choosing a spacious location will make your task easier. If this is not possible, then it would be better to consider a precise plan in order to study everything and not neglect any detail.
The components of a Japanese garden
Stones, particularly “Ishi” (stones on which time has had its effect) or Japanese steps (pavers), are elements of great importance in such a garden, they symbolize longevity, time and anchoring. They are used to create reliefs, paths, mounds, to recall the emergence of a water source or to sculpt the edges of ponds or to install paths.
Water is an element that absolutely must be present in the Japanese garden.
She indeed embodies purity and life. It depends on your space but also on your means. From fine streams to an artificial lake crossed by a bridge, or even a small pond or fountain, the possibilities are numerous.
Plants represent the heart of the landscape. Attention must be paid to the nature of the vegetation planned.
Not all species are suitable for such a garden style. It is advisable to choose evergreen, colorful plants of medium or small size.
You can opt for oaks, pines, beech, maple, almond, sophora, cedar or even weeping willow. Bamboo of course has its place in the Japanese garden and offers various advantages (material for making fountains, camouflage for fences, etc.).
Shrubs liven up Japanese gardens well. They are used to represent certain volumes such as hills or mountains. You should choose slow-growing species, such as rhododendron, magnolia stellata, camellias or even the Japanese andromeda.
The pruning of plants is essential in a Japanese garden, in order to control their expansion, give them the desired shape and enhance them (example: bonsai).
For you mosses because the lawns distort the landscape of a Japanese garden. Finally, the choice of the seasons takes into account. You have to know how to mark these.
Decoration is also an essential element in the Japanese garden. This is provided by lighting and accessories (lanterns for example or a chime, a coffee table and cushions). They liven up the space and illuminate it. However, you must remain simple because sobriety is one of the fundamental principles of Japanese gardens.
Space planning
The Japanese garden must be installed in a shady location or in partial shade. You should also choose a place that can offer maximum privacy. Indeed, we must not forget that this garden is a place of meditation and tranquility. Demarcating the garden with suitable plants will allow you to reinforce this intimacy. The odd rhythm must also be taken into consideration. The plants and rocks present must be 3, 5, 7 in number… Concerning the pedestrian paths, their arrangement with Ishi or Japanese steps is simply done by depositing them on a bed of gravel.
